dealer gouging at it's finest! [Archive] (2024)

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thedriving

14th November 2006, 04:48

you guys have to see this.... :eek: i'm speechless....
imagine the poor car salesman that has to try to explain this...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-MAZDASPEED-MX-5-MIATA-TURBO-MAZDA-SPEED-EDITION_W0QQitemZ150056999699QQihZ005QQcategoryZ63 24QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm picturing the scene in fargo "yeah.. but you see... it's got 'dat true-coat
on it dere"

and they are in minnesota so there is actually a chance that the salesman will be using that accent as he says "well, that there, is the 'luther advantage plus price' "

thedriving

14th November 2006, 05:55

I couldn't resist i had to click "ask seller a question"
my question was as follows:
Hi, would it be possible to purchase this vehicle without the Luther Advantage Plus package? While it sounds like a great value I live in another state so I would not be able to take advantage of the .05 discount on gas, the 30 day extended waranty, Luther gift certificates or the free rentals. So that just leaves a $24.99 carfax report (which I'll gladly pay you for instead of all the hassel of doing it myself)a multi-point inspection ( thats worth at least $200.00 right there for the peace of mind alone)and I think state laws would cover me in the event that you knowingly sold me a car as having a clear title when it actually didn't.
So if you could work me up a number that includes the $225.00 Luther Advantage Plus package, any applicable taxes and some sort of a provisional registration so I can drive the car home that would be awesome.
If the numbers look good I'll have my bank wire you the money straight away.
thanks, michael

i'll let you know if they bother to respond...

tom4416

14th November 2006, 08:50

Hans

14th November 2006, 09:57

I don't think it's "dealer gouging" either. :dunno: Questionable selling tactic, what with the "Luther package" and all, but nothing out of the ordinary. Seems like a decent price IMHO.

thedriving

14th November 2006, 11:18

ok so you miss the humor.....
it's like Nordstroms offering tailored suits for $150.00 and then you get there and they tell you 'free pressing for life is also included' and that special "nordstroms wrinkle free for life package " is only $1,850.00...
see, while the overall price is probably fair.....the idea that you have a package worth about $25.00 that they are going to charge you $4,066 for? that's gouging.

i'm not going to take it point by point but as an example
multi-point inspection? they are required by law to do a safety inspection before the car is sold. .05 off gas for 2 years? now they have just promised some local chain that you will buy only their gas for 2 years (luther actually made some money on that one)
and the gift certificates? how much would you care to wager that they can be used only on service and parts at good 'ole Luther mazda /Mitsubishi and only in increments of say $10 bucks? so that way they have insured that now all your parts/ service are bought at Luther and all they had to do was give you a tiny discount...

if you don't think this is a dealer being sheisty in a big way you're missing the big picture.....oh, and pricing it this way completely cuts out negotiation on the part of the customer....
"well, can you do any better on the price?"
"what?! 15K for a msm with only 12k on the clock isn't low enough?!"
"but what about the Luther Advantage Plus Package?"
"I'm sorry but that package has a flat price. it cost's the same for everyone...it's kinda like our DOC fee it's on every car and everyone pays the same price so it's fair"
come on

thedriving

14th November 2006, 11:20

I don't understand. Although they are dreaming with the window sticker shown, the BIN price isn't bad for a MS with 12K miles (is it?). You would have to be an idiot to show up and pay that sticker price but it certainly makes it look like they've discounted it $5K for ebay. Same reason dealers mark up beyond MSRP, so they can give you a bigger "discount".
you really think anybody is getting it for the BIN price? :bang:
in their ad it says
Comes with the Luther Advantage Plus Package (see pictures for details) and the remainder of the 4yr/50k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. Clean title history and CarFax Certified (available upon request). Has only 12,169 original miles. Equipped with Leather interior, Bose Audio and a 6-speed manual transmission.
i just copy/pasted that.
kinda funny too....the package includes a carfax....then they say "available on request"...do i need to request the wheels as well?

JTod

14th November 2006, 11:58

you really think anybody is getting it for the BIN price? ?

I do. The $20,998 window sticker has a 9/1/06 date on it and shows the car with 10,198 miles. Two and a half months and 2,000 miles later the dealer has decided they should probably sell the car before it is buried under five feet of Minnesota snow and the pricing reflects that. Nov-Dec is a bad time to sell a rwd convertible in MN.

I think it is a good value at the BIN price but I would be worried about the 2k miles put on the car by dealer personnel...

MX5/XJ6

14th November 2006, 12:20

I don't see where they are charging EXTRA for their bogus "package".....$15,900 is the Buy Now price, and seems reasonable enough given the low mileage (even though NEW ones could be bought at one time for only $1500 more....)

thedriving

14th November 2006, 12:45

I worked for dealers for 5 years. trust me, that Luther advantage plus package is not going away. you would have me believe that they are selling msm for 4k below blue book in minnestoa because of impending snow? please....If that's the case who wants to take a trip with me? we'll go out there buy up 5 or six of them put them on a couple of car haulers and then in the spring we'll make 3k a piece selling them and still be selling below book...minus expenses we're looking at conservatively $10,000 in profit?who is in?

JTod

14th November 2006, 13:05

So the window sticker and the mirror hang tag have different prices - so what? Doesn't mean they are going to tack $4k onto the price for the Luther Advantage as you seem to think.

These cars don't sell at KBB so that value is moot. The dealer put a big number on the sticker so they would have a lot of wiggle room for negotiations and after sitting on it for 75 days they are now pricing it to sell. Happens all the time.

I bought a new 03 for less than KBB on a used 02 - because winter was looming and 04's were on the lot. Supply and demand. If you don't think cold weather/snow has an impact on convertible sales I don't know what to tell you :bang:

thedriving

14th November 2006, 13:26

ok...you guys don't get it ....nevermind....i emailed this to a buddy of mine thats a manager at a dealership and he laughed his a** off....maybe it's an inside joke you would only get if you worked in or at least knew the car buisness ...
maybe i should have the thread title changed so someone here can take advantage of the smoking deal that you fellas seem to think is available.

JTod

14th November 2006, 14:56

They have a 200 mile Solstice for $23.9k...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pontiac-Solstice-2006-PONTIAC-SOLSTICE-ONLY-200-MILES-SIMPLY-STUNNING_W0QQitemZ150056970311QQihZ005QQcategoryZ1 24128QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Or maybe they are going to add $5k after the sale to get them back to sticker price :rolleyes:

thedriving

14th November 2006, 16:23

thank goodness this one comes with the Luther Advantage Plus as well!
are you guys really that naive?
hot diggity! a used solstice for sticker price ? gimme gimme!
hey I have a red 1992 miata for sale with the the Michael Benefit Premium Package...this includes things like a promise that after you buy the car you can drive it as often as you like and handwritten cupons for "two free backrubs" on your birthday..
all for the insanely low price of $2,300 ...so how would you care to pay for your $5,500, 154k a package miata?

tom4416

14th November 2006, 18:23

Talked to the dealer, actually pretty nice people. The BIN includes the Luther Advantage. Only additions are tax, tag & title unless taking it out of state. All their top line used cars come with the Luther Advantage. This is actually not a bad deal for a MSM with warranty left on it. Forgot to ask them if they were the original selling dealer and might have all the records.

JTod

14th November 2006, 18:39

Talked to the dealer, actually pretty nice people.

Funny, I was going to do the same thing but couldn't find a minute during the day.

Guess we aren't so naive after all... :p

Dave K

14th November 2006, 18:53

I guess some people just don't get it! A dealer is selling a low mileage MSM at a very decent price, but wants to stick the buyer with an "Advantage" package of arguable value at no additional cost. If I were the salesperson, I don't know how I could explain this no-cost throw-in. Especially the part about being able to bring it back within 5 days for a full refund. What a rip-off!

Dave

ntorch

14th November 2006, 19:29

I don't think the Solstice price is too out of line either, he says it's loaded but doesn't say how loaded. His fake dealer sticker means nothing. Sols do sell for sticker price ya know, especially an '06 at this time of the year. If I was interested in either of these cars, I'd ask for a written contract then bid. The guy is an authorized Mazda dealer.

stinkonamonkey

14th November 2006, 19:30

I guess its not all that shocking because EVERYBODY ON THE PLANET knows that dealers do stuff like this.

-pay extra for floor mats
-rust proofing
-delivery charge
-bla bla bla

This is neither unexpected or out of the ordinary. Where's the humor? Why be outraged?

thedriving

14th November 2006, 19:43

go back to post #13 . click onh the picture. read the sticker...it lists the Luther Advantage Plus Price as over $28K....pardon me for basing my response on...well their own sticker...silly me
the humor is in the fact that they advertised the car at a low price and then....oh yeah we have this great package for only $4k that comes with it...
and the package itself has little to no value....
as far as the dealer he is now saying that they will sell the car for the BIN price and throw in the Luther Advantage Plus Package for free...
great if it actually happens....but why bother listing a price $4k higher on the sticker?
that's sheisty, sorry if you can't see that.

thedriving

14th November 2006, 19:49

Dave
where on the sticker does it say it's free? it lists a $4,000 markup....why not just price it fairly to begin with instead of mark it down/mark it up/mark it down?

JTod

14th November 2006, 21:01

Well I tried once, guess there is no harm in trying again:

Dealers are required by law to have window stickers on their used cars in most states. This dealer's stickers happen to include the info about the guarantee/freebies/discounts that the dealer gives to anyone who buys a car from them. I'm sure they feel like this is a value added confidence booster for the consumer.

The sticker price is high so they have some bargaining room; the mirror hanger tag is low because that is likely their best no-haggle price.

Nothing more, nothing less. No shenanigans, nothing fishy, just car dealin'.

Scuba_Steve

14th November 2006, 21:09

This post has become quite funny. Luthers is actually a fair dealer, such as they are. Reality is "thedriving" is simply trying to stir an empty pot :rolleyes:

Gene-M

14th November 2006, 21:14

This post has become quite funny. Luthers is actually a fair dealer, such as they are. Reality is "thedriving" is simply trying to stir an empty pot :rolleyes:Frankly, the whole point of this thread seems to escape me. :confused:

t4mv

14th November 2006, 22:57

Frankly, the whole point of this thread seems to escape me. :confused:

Thank God! I thought it was just me... I still gotta go back to post #13, but, I'm gonna wait until the world stops spinning around first. :O

Cortinanut

15th November 2006, 00:09

Somebody just buy the thing and let us know how you came out. Looks like a deal to me, though it's odd that a Mazda dealer is selling under the ID "texasholdemandcars."

R808

15th November 2006, 01:24

I don't get it. MSM. Low miles, $16k. And this is funny how?

thedriving

15th November 2006, 04:29

ignore the man behind the curtain.....nevermind guys.
i guess i'll paraphrase louis armstrong here ' if I have to explain it to you, you just don't get it'
nevermind. hopefully this thread will die soon....or somebody that posts here will buy the car and report on the actual final price/experience...
either way, enjoy your Trucoat ...

MX5/XJ6

15th November 2006, 14:04

The final price is $15,922 and that includes the "Luther Advantage". I think that's pretty clear by now.

As for the Solstice, the difference between the "sticker price" and the "hangtag blowout price" is NOT due to the "Luther Advantage".....the "Luther Advantage" is included regardless of what you pay for the car, it's just part of the deal. It might not be worth a whole lot, but they're not claiming it is! They just include it when you buy a used car. Not unlike a local Mazda/GMC dealer here, where I've actually bought a couple new vehicles - they list on the window a special package consisting of "Diamond Glaze" paint sealant and interior fabric protection.....they list the package as "a $495 value" but it's done to every vehicle when they get them in - it's NOT charged extra for, it's just on any vehicle you buy from them. Whether you pay MSRP or beat them down a few grand, you get it. Of course the "value" is trumped-up, we all know you could have the same things done for about a hundred bucks, but it's just one of their gimmicks. A Honda dealer might do the same thing with pinstripes and floormats, but they will tell you it's a $1,000 value :D